You could celebrate with Pope Francis!

The Diocese of Syracuse is giving subscribers of the Catholic Sun an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to the papal Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis at Madison Square Garden in New York City Sept. 25.
The Archdiocese of New York released a limited number of papal Mass tickets to dioceses across the state. The Diocese of Syracuse is giving away 87 pairs of those tickets exclusively to Sun subscribers through a lottery.
Details of the Mass and lottery follow. Additional information on the lottery and Pope Francis’ historic visit to the U.S. can be found at thecatholicsun.com. Mass and event details
• Mass will be celebrated at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, Sept. 25.
• 20,000 people are expected.
• Mass begins at 6 p.m. Doors open at 2 p.m. Ticketholders must arrive no later than 3:30 p.m.
• Given the required early arrival, there will be a two-hour pre-event beginning at 3 p.m. entitled “The Archdiocese of New York in collaboration with The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Center for Thought and Culture Presents Journey of Faith.”
• Confessions will be heard before Mass.
• Concession stands will be open for food and beverages and papal visit merchandise will be sold prior to Mass.
• At the conclusion of the Mass, all attendees should expect to remain in place for about 30 minutes, until the Holy Father has left the arena.Lottery details
• You must be a subscriber of the Catholic Sun to be eligible to win.
• All entries must be received by
11:59 p.m. EST on Sept. 14. A paper form appears here; an online form can be found at thecatholicsun.com and syrdio.org.
• One entry per household. (See below for bonus entry information.)
• One winner per household.
• You must be at least 18 years of age to win.
• Winner is responsible for costs associated with transportation to and from the event, meals, lodging, fuel and all other costs.
• The diocese will choose winners at random on Sept. 15. Winners will be notified the same day.
• Actual tickets will not be printed until early September. Winners may choose to have their tickets mailed to them or pick them up at the chancery in Syracuse.
• Tickets are non-transferable.
• Please do not contact the Diocese of Syracuse or the Catholic Sun regarding the outcome of the ticket lottery before Sept. 15. Do not contact the Archdiocese of New York with regard to the Diocese of Syracuse ticket lottery.
• Winners will not have to provide names and social security numbers as was required during Pope Benedict’s visit in 2008, but all ticket holders will need to abide by the arrival time and will have to go through security checkpoints.

Bonus entry
• Subscribers of the Sun who also like and/or share the status announcing the ticket lottery on the diocesan Facebook page will automatically be entered into the lottery again. Visit www.Facebook.com/DioceseOfSyracuse to like and/or share the status at the top of the page.
Additional logistical information, including important transportation advisories and options, can be found at thecatholicsun.com.